Scalloped potatoes are probably my favourite side dish. Growing up, there never seemed to be enough when they were presented at the table. Us kids always dove right into the potatoes hoping desperately for seconds to no avail. It was crushing watching the dish be scraped clean before having a second serving.

Flash forward to today, and I still get a rush of excitement over a creamy batch of scalloped potatoes. I make and enjoy them quite often because they're easily customized to whatever your pairing them with.

Today's recipe is extra special because I've snuck some greenery in the form of spinach into the sauce. Blending it into the creamy sauce gives it a wonderful green hue and additional spinachy benefits. Paired with grated (vegetarian) parmesan with notes of fresh thyme and garlic, they're savory and delicious.

My advice, get your seconds in as quickly as possible to avoid the crushing feeling of watching someone else get that last scoop!

As much as I'm a fan of creamy soups, I also enjoy pureed soups often as well. Using simple, fresh ingredients, makes a world of difference in a pureed soup because it is essentially about the veggies. All of the thickness, flavour, and texture, is derived from the veggies being blended together after being cooked. Once blended, you're left with thick, robustly flavoured pureed soup.

This time of year, the more orange you can put into your system the better! Orange veggies are great for strengthening your immune system along with a slew of other health benefits, so getting as much of them as possible is a good thing.

Today's soup is all about carrots and their delicious flavour and sweetness. Paired with roasted red pepper and ginger, both of which have a little contributing sweetness as well, the soup overall is rich, mildly sweet, and super delicious. Finishing a soup like this with some pepper flakes really plays up the sweetness, but gives you the perfect underlying heat that is so welcome with this soup.

I love a good pureed soup, their simplicity is what makes them so wonderful. A collection of fresh ingredients, blended to combine all of their wonderful flavours. Unlike a creamy soup, there are no thickeners or creams added, instead, there is significantly less broth to ensure the soup is thick and rich.This soup boasts fresh carrot, roasted red peppers, and zingy ginger for a pureed soup that is rich in flavour, good for you, and super delish!

SPINACH and PARM SCALLOPED POTATOES

Probably one of my favourite sides, scalloped potatoes always ignite hunger. Thinly sliced potatoes baked up in a creamy and rich sauce, finished with cheese that forms the most wonderful crust, there's a million reasons to love them.What I also love is how easy it is to customize the flavour combos to suit your needs. This time around, we're going with a creamy spinach sauce that gets a helping hand from salty, grated parmesan. The resulting dish is super flavourful, and the green sauce ALMOST tricks you into thinking that this gloriously creamy, cheesy batch of potatoes is healthy in any sort of way.

A study done by the Humane Research Council reported that 84% of the 11, 000 U.S. participants who went vegan or vegetarian at some point in their lives, went back to meat. They reported that a lot of the participants cited rushing into the transition as why they tended to go back to meat. They also suggested that people's reasoning for going vegan / vegetarian back in the day was much more health focused whereas today, environmental and animal welfare concerns are as much a reason as their health.

​Here's what I think!

I went Vegetarian almost 17 years ago, and despite a few slips in the learning process, I've been meat free for the entire time. I've slipped up, don't get me wrong, but I am proud to say that I never went back to eating meat. It took me a bit longer to stop eating fish, but I also was in the process of educating myself and it took a lot of time to learn the ins and outs of this new lifestyle. From shopping and having to read every label, to learning new cooking techniques, to educating myself on animal rights. Without all of this education and determination to stick with it, who's to say that I wouldn't have been more lax about enjoying meat here or there.

Learning that according to this study, many of the vegetarians and vegans of earlier times were focused more on their own health and less on animals, directly correlates to why so many of them went back to meat. It's easy to cheat on yourself, without any compassion for animals, the only person you let down is yourself. For me, it was always about the animals. Without my ethical standards or compassion for animals, I may very well have gone back to meat. Without educating yourself and being wholly committed to helping animals at any cost, there's nothing holding you back from those cheat days.

What's the moral of the story here? Even if you are in it for the recognized health benefits, the known environmental impact, or the welfare of the animals slaughtered, educate yourself. Be aware of EVERY aspect of being a vegetarian / vegan and everything these groups stand for. The more knowledge you have, the less likely you are to give up / fail. Knowing what I know about the horrors of the meat industry, I can proudly say that I will NEVER go back to eating meat. And if you're passionate and educated, you never will either.​

Thoughts? Check out the original story and let me know what y'all think. Have you gone back to meat / dairy in your vegetarian / vegan journey? What triggered this? I want to hear from you!

Mashed potatoes are wonderous on their own, but they are even better when they're repurposed into delicious little cakes like these. Crispy on the outside and pillowy and smooth on the inside, these little cakes hit all the right flavour notes.

Along with mashed potatoes, there's shredded zucchini and carrot, garlic, and some cheddar for extra richness and deliciousness. Everything is formed in a mason jar lid which is a little trick I learned at work. Makes for easy patty forming and equal sized and shaped patties.

Lastly, the patties can be a bit finicky when flipping, just be extra gentle because once they get that crisp on both sides, they're heavenly!

When we hear the word "loaded", we expect a dish that's full of goodies. For my loaded cauliflower bake, you can expect to find corn, refried beans, salsa, and loads of cheese, all baked until bubbly and delicious.

Finishing the dish off is where things take a turn for loaded. Much like loaded nachos, you can really go crazy with your finishing toppings. Sliced green onions, diced yellow onions, more salsa, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and hot sauce would all be appropriate to finish things off. What you end up with is tender cauliflower buried under a plethora of delicious toppings, no chips needed.​HAPPY VEG

Loaded nachos are pretty wondrous. Crispy chips topped with a plethora of delicious toppings, just the thought ignites hunger. However, if we went around eating chips everyday, we'd be missing out on some vitamins and nutrients our bodies craved, so that's where this idea comes from. Everything chips can do, cauliflower can do better! Tender cauliflower florets buried underneath refried beans, veggies, salsa, and cheese, baked until bubbly and delicious. It's everything a bowl of loaded nachos is, with some added nutritional benefits!

MASHED POTATO VEG PATTIES

What to do with your leftover mashed potatoes? How about souping them up with some grated veg and cheese, and baking them until nice and crispy on the outside? Shredded zucchini and carrot amp up the nutritional factor while also providing some extra texture and fresh flavour which is welcome in the pillowy potato cakes. You can finish them off with so many different toppings, like a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onions, or some fresh salsa. They're delicious and I think y'all will agree!​

I'm obsessed with these crispy potato bowls! After my first bite, I literally started pondering all of the goodies I could stuff inside of them. They have become my new favourite vessel for stuffing, they're just that great!

Despite being stuffed with a delicious, scratch made, stovetop stew, they retained their crispness which made them even more delicious. Utilizing the insides, I decided to top the stew stuffed potatoes with a scoop of mash to finish them off.

These potatoes are almost a meal in themselves. They're extremely filling and hearty, and would pair well with a nice, fresh salad. Trust me when I say that you're going to become obsessed with crispy potato bowls after trying them out!

I am all about the casseroles. A good casserole is like, the perfect dish if you really think about it. A collection of wonderful ingredients coming together in a creamy sauce and cooked to tender perfection. There's nothing like it!

Today's casserole is hearty and perfect for a winter meal. Tender medley potatoes, cauliflower, and leek, baked in a creamy, bechamel style sauce, and finished under a layer of breadcrumbs, parmesan, and prepared pesto.

If you don't have medley potatoes handy, go ahead and use any mini potato you may have on hand. You could also substitute broccoli for the cauliflower depending on what you have on hand.

I love how creamy the sauce remains even after baking and the pesto brings extra flavour and deliciousness to the bake. I love how the pesto melts into the sauce creating some kind of luscious creamy pesto hybrid that is just fantastic.

If you're a casserole lover, head to the RECIPES page and get to casseroling!